In this letter dated May 6, 1791, Colonel David Sheppard writes to Secretary of War Henry Knox to inform him of the state of affairs in the Ohio country. Sheppard writes that he followed the orders he had received to have the militia leave the area, but tells Knox the number of soldiers they currently have “is not sufficient to the present emergency.” After the militia left, Indians attacked and killed several scouts, privates, and inhabitants of the region, and Sheppard is unsure of the exact number of casualties. Sheppard writes that “we have alarms every day.” Mentioning that Captain Kirkwood will be able to provide a better account of the situation, Sheppard notes that “we are without munitions and but few arms.”

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